Glaucoma

Eye Associates of Monmouth

John Ghobrial, MD

Board-Certified Ophthalmologist located in Colts Neck, NJ

Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness for adults over 60 years old and sometimes occurs without warning. John Ghobrial, MD, a highly skilled ophthalmologist and founder of Eye Associates of Monmouth, in Colts Neck, New Jersey, expertly diagnoses glaucoma. If it’s caught early enough, you can delay vision loss from glaucoma and find an effective way to manage the disease. Dr. Ghobrial works with you to create a treatment plan with your best interests as the first priority. Learn more about glaucoma by calling the office or scheduling a consultation online.

Glaucoma Q & A

What is glaucoma?

Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that can potentially cause irreversible vision loss if you don’t treat it in its earliest stages. Glaucoma damages your optic nerve and is the leading cause of irreversible blindness for men and women over the age of 60. There are different types of glaucoma, but they each involve an excess of fluid in the eye that puts pressure on the optic nerve:

Primary open-angle glaucoma

Primary open-angle glaucoma is the most common type of the disease. It is painless and doesn’t cause any changes in vision at first. If your eye doesn’t drain fluid efficiently, the fluid builds up and leads to increased eye pressure. Over time, this added pressure begins to damage your optic nerve.

Acute angle-closure glaucoma

Acute angle-closure glaucoma, or closed-angle glaucoma, is less common. It happens when your iris is too close to the drainage angle in your eye. If your iris blocks the drainage angle, eye pressure increases. This could happen quickly in an acute attack, and it is a serious emergency. If you don’t receive immediate medical attention, you could lose your sight.

What are the symptoms of glaucoma?

Open-angle glaucoma typically causes patchy blind spots in your peripheral vision, or in your central vision in both eyes. In more advanced stages of the disease, you may have tunnel vision.

With acute angle-closure glaucoma, if it occurs suddenly, you may experience:

A severe headache or eye pain

Blurred vision in one eye

Nausea and vomiting

Redness in the affected eye

Rainbow-colored halos around lights

If you experience any of these symptoms, seek immediate medical attention. Regularly scheduled eye exams are the best way to detect and treat glaucoma before it causes permanent damage to your eyes.

What are the treatment options for glaucoma?

Because there is no cure for glaucoma, treatment is a lifelong commitment. The goal of treatment is to lower the pressure in your eye to prevent damage to your optic nerve. Depending on your individual symptoms and condition, Dr. Ghobrial may prescribe eye drops to decrease fluid production in your eye, oral medications, surgery, or laser therapies.

If you haven’t had an eye exam in a long time, and you have family members with glaucoma, you could be at risk. Call to schedule a comprehensive eye exam or request the next available appointment online.